Papua New Guinea Leader Meets Exclusively with Chinese Leader at Belt and Road Forum
Papua New Guinea Leader Meets Exclusively with Chinese Leader at Belt and Road Forum - It comes amid concerns the CCP has eyes on developing a naval base in the Pacific nation.
Papua New Guinea Leader Meets Exclusively with Chinese Leader at Belt and Road Forum
Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Prime Minister James Marape is currently in Beijing attending the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
The visit resulted in various cooperation agreements, particularly in the fields of development, infrastructure, climate response, education, and energy.
Of Mr. Marape’s meetings with China’s premier and president, he said, “We have successfully marketed our country as a place for the production of food and energy, and we are receiving very good response from China."
“We are successfully deepening the trading and bilateral relationship with China, and under my watch, we will continue to expand it even further” he added.
Beijing’s Potential Military Ambitions in PNG
Australia and the United States are concerned that Beijing's growing influence in PNG could pave the way for the establishment of a Chinese military presence in the country as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to invest in the country, including the backing of an $8 billion development that features a naval and military base.Michael Wesley, director of the Defence Strategy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), warned there was a "clear and present danger" of the CCP establishing a military presence.
While Jonathan Pryke, director of the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands Program, said there was a "real risk" of China establishing a military base, and that it is "something that Australia and the United States need to be very concerned about."
"China does not play by the rules. They have ambition, by the middle of this century, to displace the international order and replace it with one of their own” he added.
In response, Australia and the United States are working to strengthen their security ties with PNG and other Pacific island nations in an effort to counter Beijing's growing influence in the region.
PNG-China Ties
Beijing and PNG have strong economic ties, with Beijing being a major economic partner and development aid provider to PNG.The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1976 and have since developed close ties in a range of areas, including trade, investment, infrastructure, education, and culture.
The Chinese regime is PNG's second-largest trading partner after Australia, and a major source of investment.
In recent years, Chinese companies have invested heavily in PNG's natural resources sector, as well as in infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and power plants.
Beijing has also provided significant development assistance to PNG, in the form of grants, loans, and technical assistance.
PNG adheres to the one-China policy, in which the independent island of Taiwan is deemed to be under Beijing's rule.